RABBI  •  BEN  •  EZRA 


SSTS2UI   H 


BEN  EZRA 

A  DRAMATIC  MONOLOGUE 
BY    ROBERT    BROWNING 


RABBI*  BEN-  EZRA 


I 

ROW  OLD  A< 
LONG  WITH  ME: 
THE  BEST  IS 
YET  TO  BE, 
THE  LAST  OF 
LIFE,  FOR 
WHICH  THE 
FIRST  WAS 
MADE: 


OUR  TIMES  ARE  IN  HIS  HAND 
WHO  SAITH  "A  WHOLE 
I  PLANNED, 

YOUTH  SHOWS  BUT  HALF; 
TRUST  GOD:  SEE  ALL 
NOR  BE  AFRAID!" 


II 

^L         FOT  that,  amassing  flowers, 
^L      [  Youthsighed, "Whichrose 

^Lj  make  ours, 

*  Wliich  lily  leave  and  then 

as  beSt  recall?" 
Not  that,  admiring  Stars, 
It  yearned,  "Nor  Jove,  nor  Mars; 
Mine  be  some  figured  flame 

which  blends,  transcends  them  all ! 

1  m 

Not  for  suck  hopes  and  fears 
Annulling  youth's  brief  years, 
Do  I  remonstrate :  folly  wide  the  mark ! 
Rather  I  prize  the  doubt 
Low  kinas  exist  without, 
Finished  and  finite  clods, 
untroubled  by  a  spark. 


IV 

Poor  vaunt  of  life  indeed, 
\Vere  man  but  formed  to  feed 
On  joy,  to  solely  seek  and  find 

andfea^l: 

Such  feasting  ended,  then 
As  sure  an  end  to  men; 
Irks  care  the  crop'full  bird?  Frets 

doubt  the  mawcrammed  bea^t? 

V 

REJOICE  we  are  allied 
To  That  which  doth  provide 
And  not  partake,  effedl  and  not 

receive ! 

A  spark  disturbs  our  clod; 
Nearer  we  hold  of  God 
Wlio  gives,  than  of  His  tribes 
that  take,  I  mu^l  believe, 
b 


VI 

Then,  welcome  each  rebuff 
That  turns  earth's  smoothness  rough, 
Each  ^fcing  that  bids  nor  sit  nor 


butg 


O! 


Be  our  joys  three^parts  pain! 
Strive,  and  hold  cheap  the  Strain; 
Learn,  nor  account  the  pang;  dare, 
never  grudge  the  throe ! 

VII 

For  thence, — a  paradox 
"Which  comforts  while  it  mocks, — 
Shall  life  succeed  in  that  it  seems 

to  fail: 

WTiat  I  aspired  to  be, 
And  was  not,  comforts  me : 
A  brute  I  might  have  been, 

but  would  not  sink  T  the  scale  J 


VIII 
VI  7H AT  is  he  but  a  brute 

VV  ^/liose  flesh  has  soul  to  suit, 
^A^hose  spirit  works  le^t  arms 

and  legs  want  play? 
To  man,  propose  this  te&— 
Thy  body  at  its  bei&, 
How  far  can  that  projedt  thy  soul 
on  its  lone  way  ? 

IX 

Yet  gifts  should  prove  their  use  : 
I  own  the  Pa&  profuse 
Of  power  each  side,  perfection 

every  turn: 

Eyes,  ears  took  in  their  dole, 
Brain  treasured  up  the  whole; 
Should  not  the  heart  beat  once 

"How  good  to  live  and  learn  ?" 


X 

Not  once  beat  "Praise  be  Thine! 

I  see  the  whole  design, 

I,  who  saw  power,  see  now 

Love  perfedl  too : 
Perfedl  I  call  Thy  plan : 
Thanks  that  I  was  a  man ! 
Maker,  remake,  complete, — 

I  tru^t  what  Thou  shalt  do ! " 

XI 

"\DR  pleasant  is  this  flesh; 
1    Our  soul,  in  its  rose*mesh 
Pulled  ever  to  the  earth,  ^till  yearns 

forreiA: 

\^ould  we  some  prize  might  hold 
To  match  those  manifold 
Possessions  of  the  brute,— gain  mo^t, 
as  we  did  be^t ! 


XII 

Let  us  not  always  say, 

"Spite  of  this  flesh  to-day 

I  Strove,  made  head,  gained  ground 

upon  the  whole ! " 
As  the  bird  wings  and  sings, 
Let  us  cry,  "All  good  things 
Are  ours,  nor  soul  helps  flesh  more, 

now,  than  flesh  helps  soul!" 

XIII  ^ 

THEREFORE  I  summon  age 
To  grant  youth's  heritage, 
Life's  Struggle  having  so  far 
reached  its  term: 
Thence  shall  I  pass,  approved 
A  man,  for  aye  removed 
From  the  developed  brute;  a  God 
though  in  the  germ. 


XIV 

And  I  shall  thereupon 
Take  rei&,  ere  I  be  gone 
Once  more  on  my  adventure 

brave  and  new: 
Fearless  and  unperplexed, 
Wlien  I  wage  battle  next, 
V/hat  weapons  to  seledl, 

what  armor  to  indue. 

XV 

Youth  ended,  I  shall  try 
My  gain  or  loss  thereby; 
Leave  the  fire  ashes,  what  survives 

is  gold: 

And  I  shall  weigh  the  same, 
Give  life  its  praise  or  blame : 
Young,  all  lay  in  dispute;  I 

shall  know,  being  old. 


XVI 

TT'OR  note,  when  evening  shuts, 
JL    A  certain  moment  cuts 
The  deed  off,  calls  the  glory 

from  the  grey : 
A  whisper  from  the  we^t 
Shoots— "  Add  this  to  the  rei£, 
Take  it  and  try  its  worth:  here  dies 

another  day/' 

XVII 

So,  ^lill  within  this  life, 
Though  lifted  o'er  its  Strife, 
Let  me  discern,  compare, 

pronounce  at  la^t, 
"This  rage  was  right  i  the  main, 
That  acquiescence  vain: 
The  Future  I  may  face  now  I 

have  proved  the 


XVIII 

For  more  is  not  reserved 

To  man,  with  soul  ju^t  nerved 

To  adl  to*morrow  what  he  learns 

to-day: 

Here,  work  enough  to  watch 
The  Master  work,  and  catch 
Hints  of  the  proper  craft,  tricks  of 

the  tool's  true  play. 

XIX 

As  it  was  better,  youth 
Should  &rive,  through  adts  uncouth, 
Toward  making,  than  repose 

on  aught  found  made : 
So,  better,  age,  exempt 
From  Strife,  should  know-,  than  tempt 
Further.  Thou  waited^  age : 

wait  death  nor  be  afraid! 


XX 

Enough  now,  if  the  Right 

And  Good  and  Infinite 

Be  named  here,  as  thou  called 

thy  hand  thine  own, 
With  knowledge  absolute, 
Subjedl  to  no  dispute 
From  fools  that  crowded  youth, 

nor  let  thee  feel  alone. 

XXI 

BE  there,  for  once  and  all, 
Severed  great  minds  from  small, 
Announced  to  each  his 
Nation  in  the  Pasft! 
Was  I,  the  world  arraigned, 
Were  they,  my  soul  disdained, 
Right?  Let  age  speak  the  truth 
and  give  us  peace  at 


XXII 

Now,  who  shall  arbitrate? 
Ten  men  love  what  I  hate, 
Shun  what  I  follow,  slight  what  I 

receive; 

Ten,  who  in  ears  and  eyes 
Match  me:  we  all  surmise, 
They  this  thing,  and  I  that: 

whom  shall  my  soul  believe  ? 

XXIII 

Not  on  the  vulgar  mass 
Called  "  work,"  mu^l  sentence  pass, 
Things  done,  that  took  the  eye 

and  had  the  price; 
O'er  which,  from  level  inland, 
The  low  world  laid  its  hand, 
Found  Straightway  to  its  mind, 

could  value  in  a  trice : 


XXIV 

But  all,  the  world's  coarse  thumb 
And  finger  failed  to  plumb, 
So  passed  in  making  up  the  main 

account ; 

All  in^tindts  immature, 
All  purposes  unsure, 
That  weighed  not  as  his  work, 

yet  swelled  the  man's  amount: 

XXV 

Thoughts  hardly  to  be  packed 
Into  a  narrow  adt, 
Fancies  that  broke  through  language 

and  escaped; 
All  I  could  never  be, 
All,  men  ignored  in  me, 
This,  I  was  worth  to  God, 

whose  wheel  the  pitcher 

shaped. 


XXVI 

JL  Y,  note  that  Potter's  wheel, 
/^L     That  metaphor !  and  feel 
/••pJ^  V/hy  time  spins  fa&,  why 
*  _      _  Mil          passive  lies  our  clay, — 
Thou,  to  whom  fools  propound, 
\Vhen  the  wine  makes  its  round, 
"Since  life  fleets,  all  is  change; 

the  Pa^t  gone,  seize  to*day!" 

XXVII 

Fool!  All  that  is,  at  all, 
La^ts  ever,  pa^t  recall; 
Earth  changes,  but  thy  soul  and  God 

i&and  sure  : 

Wliat  entered  into  thee, 
THAT  was,  is,  and  shall  be : 
Time's  wheel  runs  back  or  i&ops: 

Potter  and  clay  endure. 


XXVIII 

He  fixed  thee  'mid  this  dance 
Of  plastic  circumstance, 
This  Present,  thou,  forsooth, 

wouldst  fain  arrest: 
Machinery  juSt  meant 
To  give  thy  soul  its  bent, 
Try  thee  and  turn  thee  forth, 

sufficiently  impressed. 

XXIX        r 

V/hat  though  the  earlier  grooves 
V/hich  ran  the  laughing  loves 
Around  thy  base,  no  longer 

pause  and  press? 
\Vhat  though,  about  thy  rim, 
Skull^things  in  order  grim 
Grow  out,  in  graver  mood, 

obey  the  Sterner  Stress? 


XXX 

Look  not  thou  down  but  up ! 

To  uses  of  a  cup, 

The  festal  board,  lamp's  flash 

and  trumpet's  peal, 
The  new  wine's  foaming  flow, 
The  Master's  lips  aglow ! 
Thou,  heaven's  consummate  cup, 

what  need^t  thou  with 

earth's  wheel? 

XXXI  ^ 

BUT  I  need,  now  as  then, 
Thee,  God,  who  moulded  men; 
And  since,  not  even  while  the 

whirl  was  wor^l, 
Did  I, — to  the  wheel  of  life 
With  shapes  and  colors  rife, 
Bound  dizzily , — mistake  my  end, 
to  slake  Thy  thirst: 


XXXII 

So,  take  and  use  Thy  work: 
Amend  what  flaws  may  lurk, 
What  Strain  o'  the  &ufF, 

what  warpings  pa&  the  aim! 
My  times  be  in  Thy  hand ! 
Perfed:  the  cup  as  planned ! 
Let  age  approve  or  youth, 

and  death  complete  the  same ! 


V \  7OE  unto  them  that  seek  to  hide 
\\f  their  counsel  from  the  LORD, 
and  their  works  are  in  the  dark,  and 
they  say,  Who  seeth  us?  and  who 
knoweth  us  ? 

Ye  turn  things  upside  down!  Shall 
the  potter  be  counted  as  clay;  that  the 
thing  made  should  say  of  him  that 
made  it, He  made  me  not;  or  the  thing 
framed  say  of  him  that  framed  it,  He 
hath  no  understanding? 

Isaiah  xxix:  1,16 


NOTE 

BROWNING  was  pre-eminently 
the  prophet  among  the  poets  of 
the  XIX.  Century.  Born  into  a  time 
distraught  by  spiritual  revolution  & 
doubt,  living  in  an  age  half  blinded  by 
the  du^l  of  crumbling  traditions  and 
beliefs,  his  is  the  one  clear  voice  that 
rises  unfalteringly  above  the  turmoil. 
He  believed  in  God  &  in  the  capacity 
of  the  human  soul  to  attain,  through 
the  barriers  of  the  flesh,  the  threshold 
of  heaven.  And  so  intense  was  his 
convidlion,  that  it  has  broken  the 
clouds  for  thousands  &  enabled  them 
to  "greet  the  unseen  with  a  cheer/' 
This  loftily  prophetic  note,  this  ex* 
alted  proclamation  that ' '  God  is  in  his 

a 


heaven,"  and  that  "all  which  errs 
is  but  a  dream"  to  be  dissipated  by 
death,  surging  through  all  of  his 
poems,  from  Pauline  to  Asolando, 
attains  its  culminating  power  in  the 
Dramatic  Romances  and  Lyrics, 
"Men  and  Women,"  and 4 '  Dramatis 
Personae."  Among  the  laift  of  these 
groups,  published  in  1864,  Rabbi  Ben 
Ezra  appeared.  Taken  all  in  all,  it  is 
probably  the  moi&  adequate  expres* 
sion  of  his  religious  convidtion  that 
Browning  has  left.  Excepting  only 
Tennyson's  "Ancient  Sage,"  which 
through  its  mystic  minor  tones 
breathes  an  equally  authoritative  in* 
spiration,  Rabbi  Ben  Ezra  is  perhaps 
the  noblest  psalm  in  English  verse. 

R.B. 


Here  ends  RABBI  BEN  EZRA, 
a  Dramatic  Monologue  written  by 
Robert  Browning,  with  a  note  by 
Robert  Bruere.  Printed  by  hand  at 
The  Village  Press,  Hingham,  Massa* 
chusetts,  by  Fred  and  Bertha  Goudy . 
Frontispiece  and  decorations  design* 
ed  &  cut  on  wood  by  Will  Dwiggins. 

One  hundred  seventy  three  copies 
printed,  November  1904. 


For  sale  at  The  Village  Press 


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